Psych Dome

‘Psych Dome’ was a visual music arts installation which was presented at William Aston Hall, Glyndwr University, 16th October 2013. An EEG headset worn by the observer is used to provide a control signal that affects aspects of the psychedelic sounds and graphics, producing a unique version of the artwork each time. The structure of the piece stays the same, but aspects such as the frequencies of sounds, the colours of the shapes and their sizes change according to the EEG signals. The artwork was first presented inside of an immersive dome projection environment (mobile full dome), but can also be used on a regular screen or projector.

Psych Dome works by getting several pieces of software to communicate with each other via OSC. Max/MSP handles the sound, while a Processing patch deals with the graphics. The Max/MSP part receives OSC messages and uses these to trigger synthesized sounds and pre-recorded sounds, which are then modified using various filter and effects according to the EEG signal. Processing generates corresponding visuals. The basic structure of Psych Dome is pre-determined and lasts 1:40, however the EEG signal provides variation to the graphics and sounds making each performance unique depending on the participant’s brain waves.

How did this project use Max?

The Max/MSP patch receives OSC messages and uses these to trigger synthesized sounds and pre-recorded sounds, which are then modified using various filter and effects according to the EEG signal. It then outputs OSC signals to a Processing patch to create synchronous visuals.